Prescott College Earns High Marks

National ratings and rankings list the College among the best and greenest

“For students who want the freedom to design their own majors and prefer written evaluations to letter grades … or want a very personal learning environment.”

The Princeton Review: Best 376 Colleges

Prescott College is one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to the Princeton Review. The well-known education services company features the school in the new 2012 edition of its annual college guide, The Best 376 Colleges. It includes detailed profiles of the colleges with rating scores for all schools in eight categories, plus ranking lists of top-20 schools in the book in 62 categories. Prescott College made eight of the “top 20” lists in this year’s edition – most notably for its top-ten rankings in a liberal student body, encouragement of classroom discussions, and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

The Princeton Review: Best in the West

Each year the Princeton Review publishes a list of best colleges and universities by region: the Northeast, the Southeast, the Midwest, and the West. Prescott College was included as one of 121 institutions the guide recommended for the West. Schools on the list were evaluated based on institutional data sets, campus visits, Princeton Review staff input, college counselor recommendations, and students’ responses at each school to an 80-question survey.

The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges

Prescott College is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the US and Canada, according to the Princeton Review and the US Green Building Council. The education services company selected Prescott College for inclusion in the second annual edition of its free downloadable book, The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition. Created by the Princeton Review in partnership with the US Green Building Council, the Guide looks at an institution's commitment to building certification using USGBC’s LEED green building certification program, environmental literacy programs, formal sustainability committees, use of renewable energy resources, recycling and conservation programs, and dedicated environmental studies curriculum.

Fiske Guide to Colleges: Best and Most Interesting

The selective Fiske Guide to Colleges included Prescott College in its updated 2012 guide to the 300+ “best and most interesting” schools in the US, Canada, and Great Britain. Special efforts were made to include a good selection of four types of institutions: engineering and technical schools, those with a religious emphasis, those with an environmental focus, and those located along the Sunbelt. Further, Prescott College was highlighted as one the top 13 most interesting institutions among all schools in the book.

Huffington Post Top 10 Most Hipster Colleges

The Huffington Post published its second annual list of top 10 hipster schools, ranking Prescott College at number eight – “A haven for those who choose not to take the beaten path through life.” They call it “the perfect place for the outdoorsy hipster.”

Newsweek’s Daily Beast Top-25 Lists

Newsweek magazine compiled 25 top-25 college lists this year in recognition of the fact that not all colleges fit all students. Each top-25 list reflects a key dimension that the editors feel students should consider when choosing a school. Prescott College made the top 25 Colleges with Free Spirited Students, coming in at number 17 on the list. Newsweek describes schools on this list as being “for students who want the freedom to design their own majors and prefer written evaluations to letter grades … or want a very personal learning environment.”

Military Friendly School

GI Jobs Magazine deemed Prescott College a military friendly school fit to be listed in its 2012 Guide to Military Friendly Schools. Ranking in the top 20 percent of all colleges, universities, and trade schools nationwide, Prescott College has the curriculum, program flexibility, and culture of acceptance to help veterans and military personnel succeed in higher education and their ensuing careers.

Top 200 for Native American and Alaska Native

Prescott College has been included in the annual Top 200 Schools for Native American and Alaska Native Students list published in Winds of Change, the magazine of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. The magazine used US Department of Education statistics on enrollment and graduation rates over the past four years and sought universities with “the nucleus of a good American Indian community for support, with a focus on colleges that graduate a good percentage of their Native undergraduates.”

Colleges of Distinction

Prescott College has been selected as a 2011–2012 College of Distinction. Started 10 years ago by concerned parents and education professionals, CollegesofDistinction.com highlights institutions that demonstrate commitment in four areas – engagement, teaching, community, and outcomes – in providing “first-rate undergraduate education … where [students] can grow and learn how to succeed for the rest of their lives.”